Chapter 234

Cara’s POV

Hearing Lucy’s voice again sent me into a state of shock, one that took me a good long while to escape from. Was I dreaming? That was what I believed at first, that I had fallen asleep and this was a pleasant dream.

But, after pinching myself, I realized I was very much awake.

This was real. Lucy was right here with me.

I could feel her. I could hear her. Relief flooded through me so strongly that I nearly choked on it, as tears rose up in my eyes.

“Lucy… you are here…” Even in my mind, my voice was uneven and trembling.

“I can’t stay long… I’m still so weak…” Her voice echoed on the edge of my thoughts. I had to concentrate to hear her.

“What can I do?” I asked her. “How can I help?”

“You are already helping… You just need… to keep feeling… love…”

As quickly as she appeared, I felt Lucy slip away from me. Yet, instead of the usual empty feeling that followed her disappearance, this time she left some hope behind.

Her words gave me the direction I needed.

Lucy wasn’t gone entirely, which was a great feeling all on its own. But then on top of that was the realization that Grayson’s theories had been somewhat correct. My connection with Alaric was helping her grow stronger.

Yet, unlike what he believed, that my old bond with Alaric was what was helping Lucy draw power, the truth was, it was the love that gave her strength. As Alaric and I continued to fall deeper in love with each other, and became better at expressing that love rather than holding ourselves and our feelings back, Lucy had more to feel on.

She was growing stronger and stronger because of our love.

Alaric blinked awake slowly then and looked up at me. He smiled at first, but then must have seen the tears in my eyes. In an instant, he pushed himself upright.

“Cara, what is it?” he asked. Reaching out he cupped my cheeks with both hands. Just as he did, my treacherous tears dripped down my cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs. “What’s wrong?”

There was so much concern in his eyes that my heart ached with love. I let the feeling flow, knowing it was helping Lucy heal.

At this rate, maybe she would continue to grow stronger. Maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about my condition anymore.

Her presence changed everything.

“She was here,” I told him.

“Lucy?” he asked, his eyes wide.

“Yes, she told me…” I sniffed, so overwhelmed. “She told me she’s getting better. That our love is helping to heal her.”

I watched as the words sunk in for Alaric, as slowly his worry cleared and his hope and joy replaced it.

In a rush, he leaned forward and kissed me.

“I love you,” he said when we came up for air. “I love you so much. And I will show it in every action and every glance now and for the rest of my life. Even after Lucy comes back, you will always know how much I love you.”

I laughed at his enthusiasm, and at the joy filling my chest.

“I’ll tell you I love you so much, you’ll probably get sick of it,” he said.

I shook my head and kissed him myself. This time, when we broke, I told him honestly, “I will never tire of hearing it.”

“Good,” he said. “Because I love you.” A soft kiss. “I love you.” A longer kiss. “I love you,” he said, then pressed me down onto the mattress, where he stole my breath away once more.

Alaric’s POV

Out of respect for Cara’s attack, and at Eamon’s insistence, the competition’s events had been postponed for a few days while Cara and I recovered.

Now that we were feeling better, the competition was starting again, kicking off with a formal brunch for all the contenders and their sponsors. As such, Cara’s brothers were present, but so too were the elders I had exiled as well as Melinda Bedford, who Noel had been forced to release for fear containing her without her consent.

Noel, Eamon, and I had talked recently however, so they knew all about my plan long before Noel and I crashed the brunch, walking into the ballroom entirely uninvited. The guests were still eating. No one was at the microphone yet.

Some press had been invited. When they saw us, they immediately switched from what they had been previously focused on to follow us to the podium where the microphone was.

They were probably somewhat alarmed, as were those we passed, at the knife Noel carried. The knife that had been used to attack Cara and me. While Noel carried the weapon, I carried the reports that detailed just what the poison consisted of.

This wasn’t our only card to play however. Noel insisted he had evidence that would make everything clear and leave no question about what had happened.

I decided to trust him. I approached the microphone and cleared my throat. At once, the whole of the room turned to me.

I saw Cara, who I hadn’t told my plans to. It wasn’t that I was keeping secrets, but everything fell together very quickly. There hadn’t been time to bring her into the loop. I could only hope Eamon was filling her in now, as he leaned over to whisper to her.

The head commissioner, who had been eating at the head table stood up. “What is this?” he called. “Who let you in here?”

“Melinda Bedford, and the former elders of DuskWood pack,” I said. “I hereby formally accuse you of trying to kidnap and potentially kill me.”

“Those are baseless accusations,” Melinda said, standing up.

“She’s lying,” Noel said, like it wasn’t obvious. Perhaps to some, it wasn’t.

“I have the blade that was used to attack me,” I said. I gestured to Noel, who raised the blade. “It is of DuskWood make, as is the paralyzing poison that coated it.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” one of the elders shouted. “Don’t forget, King Alaric, that you were the one to exile us from the pack!”

“Which is your motive, I suspect,” I said.

“You can’t prove that,” Melinda snapped. “Everything you have is circumstantial at best.”

“Attempted regicide is no small charge,” Eamon said, standing now. “As this occurred in BloodyMoon pack territory, it will be judged in the BloodyMoon courts.”

“There’s no proof,” Melinda said again. “Unless this is some kind of set up? Is that it? You want to have us wrongfully accused and exiled again, Alaric?”

I really hoped Noel could back up his claims at evidence, or my reputation was going to be in tatters.

I knew Melinda and the elders were to blame, but without proof, no one would believe us.

So I turned my gaze to Noel. Noel handed me the knife by the hilt, then reached into his pocket and withdrew his phone. After unlocking it, he held it high over his head. He had some kind of recording set to play.

At the push of his thumb, Melinda’s voice came out of the speakers, loud enough for the room to hear.

“I suppose there’s no sense in keeping it secret now…”